The Rays answered back in Game 2 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-1 win in St. Petersburg to send the ALCS back to Cleveland tied and looking very much like the tight, pressure-heavy series many expected.
This one turned on a single inning and on a pitcher who looked completely out of character in the best possible way for Tampa Bay. Freddy Peralta carved through the Guardians with six shutout innings, striking out six and bringing a level of heat that the Rays absolutely needed after dropping Game 1, 7-3. He was already making his mark with the club after being traded over from the Mets, but Tuesday felt like another gear entirely.
Peralta’s fastball was running so hot that his 99.4-mph pitch to Jo Adell in the fifth inning stood as the hardest of his career. He also fired 29 pitches above 97 mph, a wild number for a pitcher whose fastball averaged 94.3 mph during the regular season.
By the time he came back out for the sixth, the crowd at Tropicana Field was chanting “Freddy! Freddy!
Freddy!” before he ended his night with his 99th pitch, another strikeout, and a full-throated roar from the home side.
The run support came with Tampa Bay’s usual brand of chaos on the bases. In the fourth inning, Ben Williamson chopped a ball to José Ramírez that should have closed the frame, but Ramírez got caught in an awkward in-between hop and the ball slipped through his legs.
That mistake let the Rays keep the inning alive and brought across their first run. Liam Hicks followed with a two-run single that widened the gap.
"I saw it up and luckily put the barrel on it and luckily it dropped," said Hicks. "Credit to the guys ahead of me for getting on."
He also made sure to point out what Peralta gave them from the mound.
“Credit to Freddy," said Hicks. "He’s fastball Freddy for a reason, and it was really working today. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll come across in the game, so really happy for him.”
Once Tampa Bay grabbed the lead, the whole feel of the night changed. The Rays started looking like the team that finished with an AL-best 98 wins, and the confidence showed up in the field too. Junior Caminero snared a scorching line drive off Steven Kwan’s bat in the next inning and answered with the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag, a little flash that fit the moment perfectly.
The Guardians are still riding the momentum of four straight wins before Game 2, including that comeback from 0-2 down against the White Sox in the ALDS. They’ll now return to a packed Progressive Field, where Game 3 is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
As for the Rays, the formula is clear: keep putting pressure on Cleveland and make the Guardians be the first team to crack. The split has also tilted the broader numbers their way. Teams with home field advantage in a seven-game series that split the first two games have gone on to win 55 of 102 times, or 53.9%, including 24 of 40 times, or 60%, in the LCS.
In Other News...
Rays Survive A Playoff Scare With Two Key Youngsters
The Rays got a tense moment out of the way early in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series when Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca crashed into each other while going after a foul ball. Both stayed in the game, which mattered more than anything in the moment, and manager Kevin Cash said the collision came from effort in a loud postseason environment. It was the kind of play that briefly quiets a dugout before everyone checks on the two young players involved.
Caminero was said to be feeling overall good after taking the hit, while DeLuca came out with some bumps on his left side. For a Tampa Bay team leaning on young talent in October, the scare served as a reminder of how quickly a routine hustle play can turn into a concern, especially in a playoff setting where every out and every ball in play seems to carry extra weight. For now, the Rays can at least breathe knowing neither player was forced out, even if there was a little more drama than anyone wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Should Watch What Tampa Bay Does With A Former Arm
The Rays and Brewers have both built a reputation for knowing when to cash in on a player before the market gets away from them, and that makes Tampa Bays handling of Drew Rasmussen worth keeping an eye on. The right-hander has grown into one of the clubs most valuable arms, putting together a run that has included back-to-back All-Star selections and steady production at the top of the rotation.
Rasmussen also comes with the kind of contractual control that can keep a team patient, which is why any real trade conversation would likely start with a hefty price. Still, when a pitcher with his track record begins to surface in outside speculation, it says plenty about how much interest there could be if the Rays ever decide to listen. For Milwaukee fans, it is another reminder that Tampa Bay tends to stay several steps ahead of the rest of the league. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Trade Is Looking Worse As Other Teams Cash In
A three-team deal that once looked like a clean swap of change-of-scenery candidates is aging very differently for the Rays. Tampa Bay landed Gavin Lux from the Dodgers, with Josh Lowe going to the Angels and Brock Burke heading to the Reds, and the early returns have made the transaction harder to grade than it seemed at the time.
Burke has been a real gain for Cincinnati, working his way into a heavy workload and turning in a 2.30 ERA while leading the National League in appearances. The Rays, meanwhile, never got a chance to see what Lux might have added because of a shoulder injury and a string of setbacks, and with his contract now headed toward free agency, the long-term value of Tampa Bays side of the deal is still very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]